1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to extruded sealing members to be used with automotive fan shrouds for the purpose of creating a seal between the radiator and the fan shroud. More particularly, an improved sealing member is disclosed having a C-shaped channel with flexible inner teeth for engaging the fan shroud and a flexible deflector flap connected to the C-shape channel for directing the air flow generated by the fan blade.
2. Discussion
In order to maintain proper operating temperature of an automotive engine, the radiator must be properly cooled by forcing air across the radiator coils which causes the coolant located therein to be cooled. To assist in the cooling of the radiator, a fan is mounted to a fan shroud which, when the fan is activated, large volumes of air is drawn across the radiator's coils. A sealed air flow area is defined by the seal, the front edge of the fan shroud and the rear portion of the radiator. By defining a sealed area between the fan shroud and the radiator, the fan becomes more efficient at pulling the air across the radiator's coils. Thus, it is important to provide a seal that will eliminate air gaps and hold its form for the life of the vehicle.
It is well known in the art to attach a seal member to the edge or perimeter of the fan shroud by using various fastener means. A commonly known method of attaching the sealing member to the fan shroud includes screwing the seal to the edge of the fan shroud. Also, it is well known to provide a sealing member that has metal clips permanently molded within a section of the seal. Such a design allows the sealing member to be snapped to the edge of the fan shroud. The problem with the above-mentioned sealing members is that they require additional fasteners to be employed in order to secure the sealing member to the fan shroud. Moreover, these designs do not provide a continuous fastening surface that extends the entire length of the seal. Also, the usage of this type of fastener requires the production line worker to take additional steps in order to properly fasten the sealing member to the fan shroud. Furthermore, because of these designs, additional costs are involved due to the usage of additional fasteners which are necessary in order to secure the sealing member to the fan shroud.
Thus, while the above-mentioned conventional sealing members may be satisfactory for their intended purpose, a continued need exists to provide a seal that has a fastening means that extends the entire length of the seal, to decrease the per unit cost of the seal, to stream-line the assembly process on the production line, and to improve the quality of the sealing member so that it does not fatigue during the life of the automobile.